April 22, 2000

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - Identical scores and opposite results marked Saint Louis University baseball's doubleheader with Louisville this afternoon at The Billiken Sports Center. The Billikens (17-24, 5-13 C-USA) lost the first game 10-6 before an offensive flurry provided a 10-6 victory in game two.

For the second-consecutive game, the Cardinals jumped on the Billiken starting pitcher early. Senior Ryan Warnecke (Highland, Ill./BAC) gave up one run in the first, two in the third and one in the fifth, although his offense was doing enough to keep the Billikens in it at 4-3 through five. UofL put three runs up in the sixth and another trio in the eighth to blow the game open. Three Saint Louis pitchers gave up 16 hits while striking out only three batters in the loss.

Game two of the twinbill was practically the polar opposite of its predecessor. It was the Billiken bats out quickly after starter Wes Jaillet (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) held the Cardinals scoreless in the first inning, despite a pair of walks. Saint Louis put four runs up in the first stanza. Jim Bredenkoetter (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet) drove in a run with a single, Nick Steiner (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central) plated one with a double down the leftfield line and third baseman Joe Boyer (St. Louis, Mo./Hillsboro) drove in a pair with a single to centerfield. With only one out, the Cardinals already pulled their starter and reliever Mike Eilers ended the inning.

UofL scored in the top of the third when a leadoff walk, a balk, a wild pitch and a ground out plated a run. The Billikens responded with another four-spot in the bottom of the frame. Freshman catcher Jody Gajewski (Ashley, Ill./Nashville) drove in three of those with a one-out double, his first extra-base hit of the season. After scoring twice more in the fourth, the Billikens looked to be in control with a 10-1 lead.

The Cardinals were not going to go quietly after winning the first two games of the series. Jaillet began to struggle in the middle innings, giving up a run in both the fifth and sixth innings. Paul Brown put one over the right field wall in the seventh to cut the lead to 10-4. After yielding another single, Jaillet turned it over to freshman Dan Parker (Ballwin, Mo./SLUH). Parker gave up one hit in the seventh, but another run scored to cut it to 10-5.

The eighth got off to a rocky start with a single, a double and an error that brought in another Cardinal with no outs. UofL tried a double steal with runners on the corners, but an amazing play by Steiner in cutting off Gajewski's throw to second and send the ball back home to tag out the runner seemed to shift the momentum. The next two batters flied out and grounded out to end the threat. The Billikens went in order in the bottom of the frame as closer Antonio Castellvi gave up just four hits in his 4-1/3 innings. Parker came back out in the ninth and retired the side with a pop up, a strikeout and a ground ball.

Jaillet improved to 3-4 on the season, going six innings, giving up five runs, all earned, on six hits and striking out seven. Parker earned his first save of the season. For the Cardinals, starter Mike Gardner took the loss.

The Billikens go out of conference to take on rival Missouri on Tue., April 25 at 7 p.m. The game is being played at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Mo., home of the River City Rascals. In an additional twist, the two teams have agreed to use wooden bats instead of the usual aluminum.